Session 11: John 17 — Joseph Carroll

Holy Father, Thou hast been hearing this word from our hearts, this entreaty, this desire that the Spirit of God might enable us to see, not only to hear, but to see the truth as it is in Jesus Christ.

We thank Thee that He has said, Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. O Father, we ask for that illumination of Thy Spirit, for we realise that He, the author of this book, alone can give us understanding.

We thank Thee for these tremendous truths which we have been considering together, which should be transforming truths, and we ask that they shall be. And yet, our Father, we realise that unless Thy Spirit not only opens our understanding, but unless He strengthens us, deep in the inner man, we shall never be what Christ died we should be, to this lost world.

O Lord, hear us, and lead us into truth, and give us grace not only to understand it, but to appropriate it, and to obey it, to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen. We turn again to John, chapter 17.

Jesus Prays for Sanctification Through the Truth

John 17, reading from verse 17. John 17, from verse 17. Sanctify them through Thy truth, Thy word is truth. As Thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Our Lord here is praying for the sanctification of His own. He reveals to us that they are sanctified through the truth. And then in order that they might be sanctified through the truth, He sanctifies Himself, for their sakes, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Sanctification as Separation and Holiness

Now, sanctification here, as far as the believer is concerned, is used in the secondary sense. That is, sanctification primarily means to set apart. But it has a secondary meaning, and it's this, to make holy.

To make holy. Now, why is our Lord so burdened that His own might be made holy? Godly. Because He is going to send them into the world to testify of Him. That's why. First comes His burden for their sanctification, and what else?

As Thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. Sanctify them, I send them into the world. That they might be sanctified, I sanctify myself. Now, our Lord here does not mean, of course, that He is sanctifying Himself to make Himself holy.

Obviously not. He is consecrating Himself. He is setting Himself apart as an offering for their sake. For their salvation, yes, but also for their sanctification. That they might be made holy. Why? That the men and women that hear them bear testimony to Jesus Christ, not only hear, but that they might see Christ.

We are very good at promulgating programs. I recall one dear brother in Japan, a very gifted man. And after about ten years in Japan, he said, you know, we've brought every technique and every program known to the United States of America.

And they've all been like lead balloons. Lead balloons. You go to a devil-driven, demon-possessed people like the Japanese, and programs don't work. You need a person. And let me tell you something.

They don't work here either. They don't work here. We have drifted to an extreme in decisionism. And we have forgotten discipleship. We have emphasized Jesus Christ as Savior, and we have neglected to preach Him as Lord.

Holiness, Discipleship, and Effective Witness

Holiness. I remember the first time I ever preached in Wheaton College, 21 years ago, I preached on separation unto the Lord. And a lot of the students said, is He holiness? I hope so. Well, is He holiness?

Scared to death. And yet right here in the very heart of our Lord's prayer, He said, I am consecrating myself, I am setting myself apart as a sacrifice for their sakes, that they might live holy lives, to what end?

That the world may believe. Now let's turn across to Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Reading from verse 1. Be therefore followers of God, as dear children, and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.

In chapter 4, He begins with the exhortation in the first verse to walk worthy. To walk worthy of their high calling. And then He concludes the chapter with those frightening words as in verses 31 and 32.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Why? Because these things grieve the Spirit of God. And then He gives us the antidote. He gives us the answer as He so often does in His epistles. You get a little gem that sums it all up. And it's a verse you seldom hear quoted.

But there it is, the second verse. It's a beautiful verse. And this is typical of the Apostle. You will recall last week we touched on 1 Corinthians 13 and 14. But usually most people neglect chapter 14.

They go after the gifts in 12 and they're concerned about 13. They forget all about 14. But in 14 He says, make love your quest. There it is. He sums it all up in one pregnant statement. Don't be dominated by gifts.

This is what you are to be dominated by. Unless you are, you are nothing. That's rather strong. That I could be the most gifted and most learned preacher in all the world and add up to zero. If you believe the Word of God, you believe that.

Let's face it. You could listen to the most gifted, the most eloquent preacher in all the world and he adds up to zero. If he is not measuring up to 1 Corinthians 13. You see, Christianity is much more than making a decision for Jesus Christ.

Genuine Conversion and the New Creation

The important thing is, has Jesus Christ made a decision for you? The Gospels have quite a bit to say to us about people who made decisions for Him and He says, I never made one for you, I don't know you.

You're a tare, not a wheat. Burned up. When Jesus Christ comes into a man by His Spirit, He changes that man. And He changes him dramatically and dynamically. He's changed. And in the Word of Scripture, He is a new creation.

A totally different creation from the former creation. And the difference is the difference between Adam and Christ. This is what He was. He was an Adamic being and now He's a Christ-like, Christ-centered being.

That's quite a change. Old things are passed away. I wonder, my brother, my sister, have old things passed away in your life? Have they? If they haven't, I want to tell you something. You are not saved.

That's what the Word of God says. You're not going to think that you can go into Heaven dragging all those things that you once had when you were unsaved and now you think you're saved, you can bring them along with you.

You've got to leave them behind. Old things are passed away. Hallelujah. I remember when I was saved and a couple of weeks after I was saved, I was preaching in the open air. And I looked out at that sky and I thought, that sky has never been as blue as what it is today.

And those trees, they're greener than they ever were. Heaven above is softer blue. Earth around is sweeter green. Something lives in every hue. Christless eyes have never seen. Christless eyes. No, the Adamic eyes, what have they taken up with?

Fame, fortune, money, position, hell itself. I tell you, Christianity is something more than making a superficial decision, being baptized and joining a church and think you're on your way to Heaven, living like the devil going there.

It's much more than that. Thank God it is much more. If it wasn't, I wouldn't be a Christian tonight. But this is a beautiful verse. What is the antidote to this grieving of the Holy Spirit? What is the antidote to this bitterness and wrath and anger and clever and evil speaking?

And this hard-heartedness? And this unforgiving spirit and this utter childishness? What's the answer to it? Walk in love. Now, let's not have a superficial concept of love. You are not going to walk in love unless you follow Christ's example here.

You are not going to do it because it's impossible. Well, what is His example? Walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.

Christ’s Self-Sacrifice and the Call to Consecration

What did Christ do? He did two things. He gave himself to God an offering and a sacrifice for us. We have been considering in recent weeks the unfaltering obedience of the Son of God to the Father, the stripping of Himself of every manifestation of His glory, the giving up of all that was His by right, coming down to this earth to suffer the humiliation of birth and humanity and manhood and ultimately death because it was the will of the Father.

And maybe that touches us but it doesn't touch us very deeply. But here we have a tremendous truth that Jesus Christ gave Himself an offering and a sacrifice to God for me, for you. Isaiah puts it in those beautiful words, He was wounded for our transgressions.

He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. And with His stripes we are healed. This is the truth that inspires total dedication to Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said the Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me.

Yes. For their sakes I sanctify myself. I'm giving myself for their sake. For my sake, yes. An offering and a sacrifice. Keep one finger there and turn across to Titus. Titus 2, verse 14. Who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous of good work?

Who gave Himself for us? To what end? That He might redeem us from all iniquity. That He might make us holy. Do you know why many Christians are not happy? They're not holy. I recall a penetrating word by John Stoddard, Keswick Convention, that he uttered and it was this.

There can be no happiness without holiness. And that's true. That He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. And then in 1 Peter 2, verse 24.

Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree? To what end? That we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness. By whose stripes ye were healed. That we being dead to sins should what?

Live unto righteousness. And this is the truth running right through. Why did Christ sanctify Himself? Why did He set Himself apart? In order that I might set myself apart. That one act of consecration by our Lord is that I might myself consecrate myself unto my Lord.

His one act of total submission is to inspire an act of total submission in me. And as He set Himself apart for my sake, I am to be set apart for His sake and for the sake of those to whom He sends me.

Offering Oneself as a Living Sacrifice

That's what He's praying for. He set Himself apart for my sake, I must set myself apart for His sake. So that what is required of me, if I am to walk in love, if I am to be set apart for His sake, I must offer myself a sacrifice to God.

I must offer myself a sacrifice to God. A whole burnt offering. When did you do that? When did you do that? Until you do it, you are not going to walk in love because you are going to be basically self-centered.

You cannot. Until that sacrifice is on the altar, you are going to be basically self-centered. You will recall we touched rather briefly last week on that tremendous prayer of the apostles in Ephesians chapter 3.

And I read an excellent word by Henley Moe on that passage only this afternoon. It's this. He says, A life may be truly Christian and yet far from fully Christian. A man who is truly Christian may be keeping back quite unconsciously whole regions of the life from Him.

And this is the word. He may be living rather as His ally than as His slave. It's a good word. Well, I am the ally of Jesus Christ. I stand for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus Christ. Forget it. Become His slave.

He doesn't need your defense. He demands your servitude. And that's the heart of it. And what follows? Ye being rooted and grounded in love. You will never know it until you sanctify yourself for Jesus' sake.

You'll never know it. You will read about it. You will hear about it. But you will never know it. And there is a very important truth here. I want you to listen very carefully to this statement. Only as truth becomes me, does it become mine.

Appropriating Truth Through Obedience

A lot of you people have been hearing a lot of messages for a long time and it hasn't changed you a bit. Do you know why? It has never become you. Now, what do I mean by that? 2 John 3,. For I rejoiced greatly when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee.

The truth that is in thee. Not the truth that you've heard or not the truth that you know or not even the truth that you believe. But the truth that is in you. You can have a wonderful meal spread before you and you can pay for the meal.

But it's not until you eat it that it becomes part of you. You've got to appropriate the meal. And then it becomes blood and bone and muscle. You can own it. You can pay for it. Never have it. Know all about it.

Know how it's cooked. Know how it's prepared. Know the calories in it. Know the vitamins in it. The minerals in it. But there it is on a plate. And you're an expert at understanding it. You know what it's worth right down to the last cent.

But it doesn't become you until you appropriate it, until you eat it. And then it becomes blood, bone and muscle. Listen, my friend. Until you appropriate and apply and obey the truth, you don't have it.

You don't have it. That's the tragedy. You don't have it. I used to preach a lot in conferences. Bible conferences. I've given practically all of them out. Sad. People go year after year after year to a conference and never change.

Thank God some are. But a vast number are never changed. Why? The truth never becomes part of them. They never appropriate it. They never apply it and obey it. Only as it becomes part of you does it become yours.

Does it become spiritual blood and bone and muscle. And that's what causes us to fall into this grievous error of equating spirituality with biblical knowledge. You hear some people prating that I've been here and I've been there and I know this preacher and I know that preacher and I've read this book and I've been to that school and spiritually they're almost destitute.

And I could take this to some 13 or 14 year olds in this building here tonight who are fast on the way to becoming spiritual giants. There's more spirituality in their little finger than some of the people who I've seen who consider themselves to be theologians.

You cannot equate biblical knowledge with spirituality. You can have great spiritual knowledge and be very unspiritual. And I tell you thank God you can have very little spiritual knowledge and be very spiritual.

It depends how much you eat and how much becomes spiritual blood and bone and muscle. That's one of the great keys to spirituality. I want to say again and I want you to remember it my dear friend. Only as truth becomes me does it become mine.

Loving Christ More Than Religious Knowledge

I received a letter today from a very dear friend. A young lady has applied to come to the school this year from her mission. And as she lives some thousands of miles from here I've been demanding that every applicant interview me personally but it was not possible for this girl to do so.

So I said I need two letters from two people and I named them. Back came this letter today, a long three page letter. And she summed up the girl with these words. She said she has great potential and she's a good girl.

But what she needs is to love Christ more. That was very discerning. What she needs is to love Christ. You see that's the answer. The more I see what Christ has done for me the more I will love him. And the more I will love him the less I will love myself.

Because self is always latent if not patent. And only the love of Christ can keep it where it belongs. Now you can have the one, two, three, four of the overcoming life and you can know it backwards and forwards.

But listen, if you don't love Jesus Christ it's not going to work. It's not going to work. It doesn't work. She needs to love Christ more. I had a dear friend in the army who was a chaplain. Very godly man.

And after the war I was in his home and he had five sons. And they were all characters, very vibrant personalities. And the eldest boy wanted to be an engineer. He was at Sydney University studying to be an engineer.

And he wanted to go to New Guinea of all places. And he was just about to finish, graduate from university. And his dad was talking to him this night. And so he said, why do you want to go to New Guinea son?

He said, well I've always felt I'd like to go to New Guinea. He said, is the Lord sending you? He said, well I'm not sure dad, I'm not sure, but I think he is. And then his father began to lay down the principles of discipleship.

And he knew them. And I always remember that boy looking at me said, Dad, if you want me to accept those conditions I'll be nothing but a slave. And he said, son, that's what I've prayed that you would be all your life.

Thank God for men like that. Boy just about to graduate engineering, off to New Guinea. His father wasn't happy about that. Why? He had never sanctified himself. He had never set himself apart for the sake of the one who set himself apart for him.

Prayer for Spiritual Transformation and Witness

Shall we pray? Dear Lord, it is no easy road, but it's a glorious road. Oh, save us from our superficiality, we pray. Lord, we see a dying world, a lost world. We're losing count of the hundreds of millions who have never heard of the name of Christ.

It doesn't mean a thing to so many. Lord, forgive us. We look out upon a church bickering over theological fancies and fashion. Instead of giving itself to prayer and the ministry of the word and the power of the Holy Ghost.

Oh, Lord, forgive us. And forgive us that so very little of thy word has become part of us. Because we've never applied it to our own need, to our own condition. Interesting truth, I'll stand for it. Oh, Lord, you want men to bow before you, not to stand for you.

Blessed Lord, by thy spirit, do the work that you alone can do. It's not in man that walketh to illumine another man or to influence another man Godward. It must be by thy spirit. It is true it is by the foolishness of preaching that you do your work, but it is foolishness.

But we pray that you will do it tonight. In hearts that have received the word, especially those, Father, who are young and amiss. Oh, Lord, give them grace to say to thee, you set yourself apart for me.

I will set myself apart for you until I see you face to face. In Jesus' name, Amen.